Edward's Babysitting Service
by UndyingSins
Summary: Edward's called to East on an important assignment, but he finds that he's in for a huge surprise on what the assignment entails-taking care of the Vargas Siblings. A job made all the tougher by the Homunculi. Rated T for Romano and Edward.
1. Chapter 1

**/AN**

**Don't you hate it when you get ideas and they won't leave your head? This is one of those stories, but I've been meaning to write a Hetalia/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover for a while, so this works out pretty well on my part.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! No matter how much I wish I did.**

**AN/**

"What's the Colonel want now?" Edward Elric, a rather short blonde with golden eyes sighed.

"I don't know, Brother, but if he told us to get to East HQ quick, it's probably something important," Alphonse Elric answered. He was the younger of the two, even though you wouldn't be able to tell, because he was an armor suit with nothing except a seal written in Edward's blood inside.

The brothers were currently on their way to East City from Resembool, where Edward was getting his automail fixed by Winry Rockbell, his mechanic. They received a call in the middle of the night from Colonel Mustang, the one in charge of running the military stationed in the East, though he might as well have done anything and everything but that.

"We're now entering East City," a voice over the train intercom said as the train started slowing.

Edward and Alphonse, along with a few other people, got up so they could leave the train. In no time, Edward and Alphonse were in a car on the way to the military headquarters.

Edward knocked on the door, and when he heard Mustang say, "Come in," he opened the door.

Just to be hit square in the face with a tomato. From somewhere inside the room, probably one of the couches, a voice shouted, "About time you showed up, bastard!"

"Loviano!" someone else, older, scolded him. "Don't be mean to your new guards."

Edward got the tomato off his face and found that he was staring at probably two of the smallest people in the world. He didn't think people could be this small! Both of them had red hair, though one looked more brown than red, and were in white robes with caps on their heads. The older one – he had to be the older one – was standing there with a tomato on his hand, but the one thing that caught Edward's attention was the curl sticking out the right side of his head. Behind him was the younger one, hiding from the looks of it, and had a similar one sticking out the left side.

Edward turned his attention to the two older ones. One looked like a teenager and the other a young adult. Mustang said, "Fullmetal, these are Roderich and Antonio. They've requested we have military personal look after the two young ones on the couch, Loviano and Feliciano."

"Don't tell me what to do, bastard!" Loviano, the older one, from Edward's guess, shouted at Antonio.

Roderich walked over and explained, "This isn't permanent. We just need someone to look after these two while we try to hold off Francis from getting them."

"One of our friends recommended we come here," Antonio continued, ignoring Loviano's constant yelling. "He said the Amestrian military would be able to help them."

"Mr. Roderich, are you going to be all right?" the younger one asked.

Roderich said, "We'll be fine, Feliciano. You just need to make sure Francis doesn't get to you guys first."

"But big brother wouldn't do anything wrong!" Feliciano defended him. This caught Edward and Alphonse off guard. From the sounds of it, Roderich and Antonio weren't related to these two, but they were trying to protect them from their older brother?

"The bastard can go to hell!" Loviano shouted, starting to eat the tomato he was holding.

Edward looked at Alphonse, like he was asking, _What do you think?_

Like he read Edward's mind, Mustang stated, "You don't have a choice in the matter, Fullmetal. If you don't take care of Loviano and Feliciano, I'll withdraw letting you search for the Philosopher's Stone."

Edward grimaced. He wasn't sure which one we would have a harder time with, the older one with the apparent mouth, or the younger one who looked practically defenseless.

It suddenly came to him he might be able to leave them with Winry and continue after the Philosopher's Stone on their own, but again Mustang seemed to know what he was thinking. "I'm also going to be calling you constantly, to make sure that they're well."

"Yea, yea," Edward muttered. Great, he was stuck with two kids and couldn't do anything about it.

Feliciano jumped off the couch and ran over to them. "Will we have lots of pasta?" he asked.

Roderich explained, "Feliciano really likes to eat pasta and pizza, but so does Loviano. It's possible to get them to eat other things, though, so don't think you need to give them pasta or pizza for every meal."

_They sound like they come from Aerugo_, Edward thought. He didn't know much about Aerugo, just that they had shaky relationships with Amestris. _But if they do come from Aerugo, why ask Amestrian military to look after them?_

"Don't worry," Alphonse said, breaking Edward out of his thoughts, "I'm sure we're going to have lots of pasta and pizza for you."

"Yay!" Feliciano cheered.

Roderich smiled and patted the tiny Italy on the head. "You be good for them now, all right? They're going to a lot of trouble to take care of you guys."

"Ok!" Feliciano said. He ran over to the table where Edward just noticed there were a bunch of papers. Feliciano looked through them before finally finding one and ran back over to Roderich. "Here! It's me, you and Ms. Elizabeta!"

Roderich took it and smiled. "Thank you, Feliciano. This is lovely."

Feliciano looked really happy before running back over to the table and gathering the rest of the paper. Edward decided that Loviano would be the harder one to take care of; it actually looked quite simple to make Feliciano happy.

Speaking of Loviano, Edward looked at the older of the two and found that he was still yelling at Antonio.

"Hey, we're going to need to get going. I told Winry and Granny we'd be back by tomorrow," Edward stated.

Mustang nodded, though it was easy to tell that behind his hands he was smiling, though it was hard to tell who the one that made him smile was.

"Loviano," Antonio finally managed to say over Loviano.

"What, you bastard?" Loviano grumbled.

Antonio held up a basket full of tomatoes. Loviano immediately perked up as Antonio handed Loviano the basket. "Make sure they last," he told Loviano. "I'm not sure how long it'll be before I can get more ready."

Edward made a note of that as well. It seemed like Loviano would be happy with tomatoes, but with the way he was acting, it probably wasn't happy to keep him content.

Loviano walked over to Feliciano, who smiled. "We can make sauce out of these!"

"Not all of them!" Loviano shouted.

"Hey, now," Alphonse interfered when it looked like Feliciano was getting sad. "From the looks of the basket, there are a lot in there. We won't need all of them."

"If you say so, bastard," Loviano muttered, going back to eating one of the tomatoes.

"Oh, and he calls everyone that," Antonio told them. "Don't let it get to you, it's nothing personal."

"Well, we must be going before Francis realizes something's wrong," Roderich said.

"Tell Ms. Elizabeta I said bye!" Feliciano called out after them.

"Don't worry, I will," Roderich replied. "I'll also tell Holy Rome."

Mustang chuckled. "Well, we're leaving them in your care, Fullmetal."

"That makes me feel so much better," Edward grumbled.

By the end of the day, they were on another train back to Resembool. Feliciano appeared to be painting something and Loviano was eating more of the tomatoes.

_What did I get myself into?_ Edward asked, sighing in defeat.

**/AN**

**I claim a time paradox happened for Lovi and Feli to be tiny but Ed and Al be alive and at their normal age as in the manga.**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	2. Chapter 2

**/AN**

**So, since there's the apparent time paradox going on, who wants me to toss in kid America and kid Japan just for kicks? And if there's anyone else I haven't mentioned (so no Spain, France, Holy Rome, Hungary, or Austria. Sorry!) that you want to show up for Ed to take care of, tell me and I'll add them in.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!  
AN/**

Winry's reaction to seeing the two young Italians was predictable. "Awwww," she cried, hugging them. "Aren't you two just the cutest little things I've ever seen!"

"Winry, please don't hurt them," Edward sighed, but he couldn't help smiling at her reaction.

"I'm Feliciano Vargas, and this is my older brother Lovino," Feliciano said, returning Winry's hug. Edward realized he hadn't asked for their last names and made a mental note of their last names for later.

"I'm Winry Rockbell," Winry introduced herself, patting Feliciano on the head. She turned to Edward and asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be taking care of them?"

"Because, quite frankly, I didn't know until I entered the Colonel's office and got hit with a tomato," Edward replied, which was the full and complete truth. Edward noted that Lovino seemed strangely silent, which is the exact opposite of what he was like up until they got to Resembool. Upon closer inspection, he realized that Lovino was actually blushing.

Edward thought it was strange, but was interrupted by Granny Pinako calling from the kitchen, "Well, I hope they like pasta, because I made plenty."

"Yay!" Feliciano cheered when she heard they were having pasta. She ran over to the table and pulled out a picture, adding something to it, before running over to Edward and giving it to him. "This is for you," she said.

Edward took it and looked down. He was expecting a kid's drawing, so seeing the sign on the back of his jacket in amazing detail was the last thing he expected. It wasn't blacked out, either. The cross looked 3D and appeared to be made of bronze and the snake looked real enough to actually be sitting on the cross. The wings and crown above were also given exquisite detail. You could see every feather of the wing and a jewel encrusted in the crown.

Feliciano had definitely blown Edward's mind in the art department. It made him wonder what Feliciano might be able to do with alchemy were Feliciano able to successfully learn it.

He realized Feliciano was still looking at him. Edward looked back at Feliciano and smiled, saying, "This is amazing. Thank you."

Feliciano looked really happy and ran back over to where she set down her art supplies. Winry walked over and stared. "Feliciano drew this?" she asked, examining at the intricate design of the snake's scales.

"It appears so," Edward muttered. "I didn't think a kid could do something of this caliber."

It was like she, too, could read Edward's thoughts. "You're not teaching them alchemy."

"Who said I was thinking anything of the kind?" Edward retorted.

"I know you," Winry stated.

Their conversation was interrupted by Granny Pinako yelling, "Dinner."

Feliciano cheered again and ran for the dining room. Two seats had been added to the table with books piled on them so Feliciano and Lovino could reach the table. Alphonse was just finishing setting the table.

Everyone started eating, and Edward showed Alphonse the picture Feliciano gave him. "I'm not sure where she learned how to draw like this, but it's amazing for someone as young as she is," Edward muttered.

Alphonse nodded, looking over the picture. "If this is what she could do now, it makes me want to see what she could draw when she's fully grown."

It wasn't until they were almost finished eating that Feliciano asked, "Where are we going to be sleeping?"

"I've got a spare room you can use," Pinako stated. "I'll go and get it set once we're done. Just make sure you two don't stay up late or you're going to be tired tomorrow. Ed and Al travel a lot, so you're going to be constantly moving."

Edward wasn't positive, but it seemed like Pinako answered an unasked question the two had on their minds. The rest of dinner was gone and while Winry and Feliciano cleaned dishes, Pinako, Edward, and Alphonse set out blankets and pillows in the bedroom Feliciano and Lovino would have for the night. Lovino followed them, eating another tomato.

Pinako told him where the location of the bathroom and their own bedrooms were in case they needed something. Not long after they had finished making the beds and cleaning the mattresses, Winry came up carrying a sleeping Feliciano.

"Poor thing fell asleep once we were done," she whispered, placing Feliciano on one of the beds and tucking her in.

Edward just noticed this fact, but he realized that Lovino and Feliciano looked to be about as tall as Pinako, slightly taller with the hats they wore, but he knew now he had seen someone as small as them. He was also mentally kicking himself for not realizing the fact sooner.

Winry kneeled down in front of Lovino and said, "You get some rest too, all right?"

Lovino was blushing again, but he nodded. The Elrics and Rockbells left the room, closing the door behind them softly as to not wake the sleeping Feliciano and went back downstairs to chat a bit.

xxx

Feliciano woke up a little while later. It appeared to be the middle of the night, but he couldn't be sure. Feliciano looked over at the other bed and saw Lovino sitting there. He jumped out of his own temporary bed and went over to Lovino's, snuggling close to him. "So what do you think everyone else is doing?" Feliciano asked.

"I couldn't care less about those bastards," Lovino muttered.

"Romano, they've been taking care of us," Feliciano said, hoping no one else was awake to hear him use his brother's country name.

Lovino looked at Feliciano and said, "Yea, they did, Veneziano, but then they dumped us off here claiming they'll come back. You know what that is? Abandonment."

"It's not! Holy Rome was the one that told them we'd be safe here," Feliciano told him. "And Big Brother France shouldn't know we're here either. We should be safe."

"Well, we'll see about that," Lovino muttered, curling up to go to sleep. He didn't react when Feliciano curled up next to him instead of going back to his own bed as the two fell asleep.

**/AN**

**Yes, they mistake Feliciano for a girl. Not uncommon, though, and if you saw Little Italy before he grew up, you'd probably mistake him for a girl also.**

**And I loved writing the end part where Feliciano and Lovino talked to each other. But did anyone hear them…?**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	3. Chapter 3

**/AN**

**Thanks so much for the reviews! And thanks to Scratchfox for pointing out I was spelling Lovi's name wrong. ^^**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!**

**AN/**

Winry smiled the next morning when she walked into Feliciano's and Lovino's room and found them sleeping next to each other, Feliciano's arm over her brother's chest. They looked so cute, Winry felt guilty to wake them up. She shook her head, knowing that if she let Edward wake them up, he'd probably scare the two to death and back.

So instead, she kneeled down next to the bed and said softly, "Hey, you two. It's time to wake up."

"Five more minutes…" Lovino complained, waving one of his hands before hugging Feliciano closer.

Winry smiled. If that wasn't sibling love at a young age, she wouldn't be able to tell what was. "I wish I could, but you guys are going to be leaving soon and you still need to eat breakfast," Winry said.

Lovino's eye flickered open at her before nodding. He looked down at Feliciano and said, "Feliciano, it's time to wake up."

"Ms. Elizabeta, can't I have a few more minutes?" It was Feliciano's turn to complain, and apparently she didn't remember what happened. But the next moment she sat straight up before looking around, her eyes finally landing on Winry.

"I would've gladly let you sleep in," Winry said, patting Feliciano's head, "But you guys are going to be leaving soon."

"We'll see each other again, right?" Feliciano asked.

Winry smiled. "We sure will," Winry replied, thinking about how the next time they met would probably involve Edward's automail getting broken somehow.

Winry led the two downstairs, where they found their suitcases already sitting by the door. Edward was munching on some toast, resting on the couch. When he saw the two, he said, "We've still got about an hour before the train is set to leave. Go ahead and eat before we move to our next location."

"Where are we going?" Feliciano asked.

"Dublith," Edward replied. He didn't like the idea of Izumi meeting Feliciano and Lovino, especially since this was only his second day of guarding them, but they received a call from her saying she found a possible lead on the Philosopher's Stone.

An hour later, they were on a train heading for Dublith. Feliciano was watching the scenery go by today, waving to those two cared to look at the train, while Lovino curled up on the seat and went to sleep.

"What's Dublith like?" Feliciano asked once the scenery gave way to desert.

"It's bigger than Resembool, so it's busier, but you won't need to worry," Edward said, smiling at Feliciano and patting her head similar to how Winry does. "We won't let you get lost, and you're going to have a few more eyes on you when you arrive."

Feliciano smiled before following Lovino and falling asleep, although she laid down leaning on Edward. He stared for a moment before patting her head and turning to Alphonse. "I just hope Teacher takes their arrival well."

"I would worry more about Lovino than Feliciano," Alphonse said. They were remembering when Edward was rude to her and suffered for it.

Edward was rubbing his jaw as he remembered it. "Yea, that's a good point. I don't think Teacher would do anything with them that she did with us, but…"

"We're not positive," Alphonse finished his sentence for him. He couldn't see either of them being able to take on Teacher in a fight, let alone be able to survive the encounter.

"We can only hope for the best," Edward muttered. He decided to go ahead and call Izumi at the next station and explain their additions to her before they arrived.

Which didn't go exactly as planned. It was either bad luck or someone had it in for him, but at every station since Edward made that decision, they've either had widespread blackouts or no phones at all. So the group arrived in Dublith with Izumi Curtis only expecting two additions to her household.

Edward walked into the door of her butcher shop and found Mason standing there. He was well-muscled, but no where near as tall as Izumi's husband, Sig.

"Hey, Edward," Mason said as they walked in. "Alphonse, it's been a while. Izumi's waiting at the house."

Edward nodded. "You think you could call her beforehand?" Before Mason could ask why, Edward pointed down to the siblings standing by his feet; Feliciano holding onto his pant leg like it was her only lifeline to being able to stay with them.

Mason nodded and grabbed the telephone. After a few minutes of explaining Edward's new companions, he hung up and said, "Ok, at least she won't be surprised. She's going to want to know why you had to get all the way here to tell her, though."

"I'll explain everything," Edward said.

Alphonse said, "I'll stay here and help Mason a little bit."

"No you're not! You're coming with us!" Edward retorted, grabbing the feather on Alphonse's helmet. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at Izumi's house. Edward knocked on the door.

Sig, a tall male with muscles, answered the door. He looked at the group before inviting them inside. Feliciano took one look at Sig and hid behind Edward, but Lovino stared at him defiantly. Edward sighed; thinking about how that just about summed the two up. Edward knelt down and said to Feliciano, "He's not going to hurt you."

Feliciano looked between Edward's face and Sig's before finally nodding. She didn't let go of Edward, though.

"So, what exactly happened?" Izumi asked when they entered the kitchen.

Edward explained everything again, starting with when he got the call from Colonel Mustang saying he had a new mission.

Izumi nodded when he finished, looking down at the two arrivals that had Edward for a bodyguard. She asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Feliciano," Feliciano introduced herself. "And he's Big Brother Lovino."

Izumi knelt down, saying, "I'm Izumi Curtis, and that's my husband Sig. You don't need to worry about anything while you stay with us, we'll be here to help you."

"Yay!" Feliciano cheered, hugging Izumi's arm.

Edward and Alphonse froze, but Feliciano didn't seem to realize she did something strange, so Edward and Alphonse were surprised when Izumi sighed and said, "We'd better get a room set up for you two. Ed, Al, I'll talk to you after dinner about that lead."

"Right, Teacher," Edward said. He guided Lovino and Feliciano from the room, sighing in relief when he was sure Izumi wouldn't hear him.

Feliciano commented, "She doesn't seem so bad."

"She can be a lot worse," Edward muttered, glad Feliciano didn't get beaten to a pulp. Of course, the only reason she may not have was because Edward was supposed to be looking after her and Lovino, so chances were he'd be the one to take the pain Feliciano would normally have taken under any other circumstance.

He left Feliciano and Lovino in the living room while he went to help Izumi with dinner.

"So, what's the real story behind those two?" Izumi asked Edward when they were alone.

Edward said, "I can't be sure, but the only explanation I can think of is that there's a power struggle inside their family for some reason. Maybe they're like the Armstrong family and they're being handed everything instead of this Francis, or maybe Francis has some kind of twisted plot to use them to get money from their parents, or maybe Roderich and Antonio have it completely wrong and they're not in any danger at all. It's impossible to be sure."

"It sounds like their older brother does have a bone to pick with them," Izumi agreed, "but it also sounds like you didn't get very much information about him. You may not be able to protect them when the time comes."

"They should be able to recognize him," Edward muttered. "I would bet that if I asked them, they'd point Francis out to me if they saw him."

Izumi nodded. "I would still keep my guard up, though. You don't know what he might have in mind for getting them."

"Right," Edward said.

xxx

"Looks like we can get him to play nice if we just get one of those kids," the person looking down on the Curtis household muttered before disappearing into the night.

**/AN**

**Hopefully we'll get to see what's going on with Roderich and Antonio in the next chapter, so look forward to it!**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	4. Chapter 4

"Amore," the blonde Frenchman said to Roderich and Antonio. "You two know why I've come, so why don't you just go ahead and hand them over?"

Roderich replied, "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

"Besides, we've got reinforcements from England coming to help us," Antonio told him. "France, you're not going to get the Vargas brothers, even if it's the last thing we ever do."

"Oh, let's just see how long you can hold up that promise," France replied.

"What do you mean?" Roderich asked, skeptical of his cool tone.

France smiled. "Well, it's just the simple fact that I've already sent out armies to keep England, ah, _busy_ so he won't be able to help you."

"Well, we'll see how well it works," Antonio said, knowing England wasn't a pushover.

xxx

"Liore," Edward grumbled. "Why'd it have to be Liore?" He and Alphonse had already been there once, and ended up dethroning the false prophet Cornello.

Alphonse told him, "I really don't know, but at least we can see what Rose is doing."

"Yea, that's true," Edward replied. He stopped when he heard someone talking. He snuck over to the door that led to Lovino's and Feliciano's room.

"Why don't you learn how to worry about yourself?" Lovino was asking.

Feliciano replied, "But…but…Roderich and Antonio may really be hurt. Big Brother Francis isn't someone to take lightly."

"Isn't he the one that saved you from Holy Rome until that bastard took us?" Lovino grumbled.

"That's why I'm saying so," Feliciano replied. "Holy Rome and Big Brother Francis got into a fight over me before, I don't want to see either of them getting hurt over it again. I don't want to see Roderich or Ms. Elizabeta or Antonio hurt either."

"Let the bastards worry about themselves," Lovino told him. "They'll be fine, and soon we can go back home."

"Yea," Feliciano muttered. The Elric brothers heard one of them yawn before saying, "Night." and went to sleep.

"What do you think that was about?" Alphonse asked once they got to their room.

Edward shook his head. "I don't know, but it sounds like those two have a lot more on their minds than they let on…"

It was later that night that Alphonse heard the door open. One of the problems of not having a real body was not being able to sleep, so he was still awake in the early morning hours. He looked up and found Feliciano standing there, looking scared. "Something wrong?" Alphonse asked the little Italian.

"I had a bad dream," Feliciano said, walking over. Alphonse found that there were tears in her eyes, like she had been crying.

"Well, what was it? Sometimes telling others a bad dream will help it go away," Alphonse said.

Feliciano nodded, sitting down next to Alphonse. "I was back at home with everyone. We were sitting there listening to Mr. Roderich play some music on his piano. It was a nice melody that really calmed me, but suddenly the wall broke in and Big Brother Francis stood there with Big Brother Lovino and Antonio lying behind him…they looked like they were…they were…" Feliciano started crying again, and Alphonse rushed to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Lovino's here with us, and I'm sure Antonio's stronger than Francis, especially with Roderich on his side," Alphonse said quickly.

Feliciano looked up at Alphonse, nodding. "I just really hope they're safe."

"It sounds like you really care about them," Alphonse muttered, thinking about how he cared for Edward.

Feliciano nodded. "For a while, I lived with Grandpa Rome," Feliciano explained. "We had a great time with each other, he taught me art, music, and culture, but…there were so many wounds on him…he looked like he was in great pain with all those wounds. I never want to see that same thing happen to anyone else in my family."

Alphonse nodded, thinking he understood what Feliciano meant. "You were really close to your grandpa, weren't you?"

"Yea, he was the greatest," Feliciano said, perking up as she thought about her grandfather.

Alphonse would've smiled if he could, and he pat Feliciano's head. "Why don't you try to go get more sleep? You're going to need it. And just remember that everyone's fine, there's nothing to worry about."

"Ok," Feliciano said, hugging Alphonse before leaving the room.

Alphonse stared after her for a moment, wondering what it was her family had to live with. It was sounding more and more like Antonio and Roderich were the ones at fault for taking the Vargas siblings from their family, but they were supposed to be protecting the two from their own brother?

Alphonse shook his head, just getting even more confused. Neither of the two seemed upset to be taken from their family's, and it even sounded like they would choose Roderich and Antonio over their own brother.

By the time morning came, everything had been set for disaster…

**/AN**

**Short chapter is short, and I was actually hoping for them to get to Liore by the end of it, but it didn't seem to work out. On another note, aren't cliffhangers awesome? 3 BTW: I'm still accepting submissions for kid countries to be entered. I've already got plans for England, America, and Canada to show up, and I'm currently working on Japan's showing as well.**

**R&R Please~!**

**AN/**


	5. Chapter 5

"We've got to walk?" Feliciano asked, staring out at the desert. Right behind them was the train station, the closest one to Liore that they could reach.

Edward nodded. "There should've been a taxi driver waiting for us, but it doesn't appear to have worked out the way we wanted to."

"Don't worry, you two won't need to walk the whole way," Alphonse said. "I can help carry you two when you get tired, and we're going to have provisions ready in case you get hungry or thirsty."

Indeed, their last trip to Liore taught them a lot about traversing the desert separating the city from the rest of Amestris. They had stocked up on food and water for the trip, which was sure to take longer than their first time since it seemed like they were going to have to walk the whole way.

Feliciano didn't look up to walking the whole way, but Alphonse took all of their suitcases without saying a word. He looked at the two siblings, wondering what could've been so bad about their family to land them in this situation. There were so many other things they could've been doing. Feliciano could be creating art pieces that would last centuries, and Lovino could be helping out cultivating tomatoes and wheat and other food, yet here they were getting ready to walk across a desert.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lovino asked, starting forward. Edward, Alphonse, and Feliciano followed quickly behind. They set a steady pace that should get them there by the end of the day, but wouldn't stress the two Italians out too quickly.

It was nearly ten at night by the time they arrived. Edward had taken to carrying two of the suitcases while Feliciano was cradled in Alphonse's free arm, recuperating after falling a little while earlier. Lovino was trudging along without complaint, but it was easy to tell by the sag in his shoulders he was tired.

"It's so late, are we going to be able to find someplace to stay?" Alphonse asked, looking at the moon.

Edward nodded. Before he could answer, he heard a familiar voice begging, "Please, come out. Then I can get you guys some shelter and food."

"No!" someone else retorted. Edward couldn't be sure, but it sounded like the girl was arguing with a kid.

"…Huh?" Feliciano asked, waking up. She looked around as the group headed for the voices.

"Rose!" Edward called out when they got close enough. Sure enough, the tanned brunette was crouching at the opening to what appeared to be a small alleyway, holding out her hand.

Rose turned, seeing the group. "Edward! Alphonse!" she greeted them, but quickly turned back to whoever was in the alley. "Why don't you trust me? I can help you," she told the people in there.

"We don't need your help!" the person replied. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Wha- Feliciano!" Alphonse said, shocked, as Feliciano jumped out of Alphonse's grip and ran over to the alley with Lovino.

"Eng-" Lovino started, but was cut across by his sister saying, "Arthur!"

Standing in the alleyway was a blonde with thick eyebrows about the same height as the Italian twins. He stared at them, shocked for a moment, before sighing in relief. "So Francis hasn't gotten you two yet."

"Ah, who's that behind you?" Feliciano asked, craning her neck to see the two brown-haired blue-eyed kids behind the European.

"I'm Alfred," the slightly taller one introduced himself, but couldn't move because Arthur was blocking him.

The smaller one, sporting a sailor's outfit, said, "I'm Peter!"

"I've been asking them to come with me for hours," Rose said.

"Why don't you just leave us alone?" Arthur retorted.

Rose answered, "Because I can't just leave anyone alone to die!"

"We wouldn't die!" Arthur replied.

Before the argument could continue, Feliciano ran up to Arthur, asking, "Why don't you stay with us?"

Arthur seemed caught off-guard. He seemed to be having an internal argument. He agreed to send Roderich and Antonio help to fight Francis, yet here were the Italian siblings. Arthur looked up and spotted the suit of armor and the young boy who appeared to be their bodyguards. He sighed, smiling at Feliciano and saying, "Fine, we'll stay with you guys." It didn't look like those two would be able to handle Francis if he did find them, so it was better to be with them anyway.

Edward didn't look pleased, but he didn't make any kind of argument, so Feliciano's cheer was the only thing that spawned recognition of Arthur's agreement.

"I'm sure we'll get along great!" Alfred said, coming out from behind Arthur to properly greet Feliciano. Peter followed quickly behind, smiling at Feliciano.

"Yea," Feliciano agreed, smiling at the two.

Rose told Edward, "You can stay with me for tonight. I've got plenty of space for all of you."

"Hey, thanks," Edward replied. He was just glad to see that she was doing so well after everything that had happened.

Feliciano, Arthur, Peter, Lovino, and Alfred rejoined the group and they were about to leave when Rose asked, "Would you like to come with us?"

They turned back to the alley and found that there was a boy that looked very much like Alfred standing there, holding a polar bear cub. "Ah…yes," he replied, running up to the group.

"And who are you?" Rose asked him.

"Ma…Matthew," he replied. He looked like a nervous wreck, and by the time the group reached Rose's house, he was all but forgotten again.

Rose was getting sleeping places ready while Feliciano showed Alfred, Peter, and Arthur some of her new drawings. Edward and Alphonse were helping her while Lovino was just sitting on one of the couches.

"So why'd you come back?" Rose asked.

Edward replied, "We heard that there were more traces to the Philosopher's Stone here, so we decided to come."

"It was also the perfect excuse to visit," Alphonse added, grabbing some more blankets. What none of them seemed to notice was that Arthur tensed slightly when they mentioned the Philosopher's Stone, but he quickly relaxed again and continued talking with Feliciano.

"Well, I can't be of much help there, but maybe someone else in town would be able to give you some information," Rose said.

Edward nodded. "Would you mind…?" He looked at the group of kids sitting there.

"Oh, it's fine," Rose replied, smiling at them. "I'm sure they'll be better off staying here anyway, especially the two you came with. They look exhausted."

"Yea, now that you think about it," Alphonse said, chuckling when he caught sight of Lovino. Somewhere in their conversation he had nodded off and started sleeping. The other four managed to find a marker somewhere and were drawing on each other's faces. Alfred was sporting a star around one eye and various dots on his cheeks, Feliciano had cat whiskers and her nose had been colored, Peter had two swirls on his cheeks with a line running down the middle of his face, and they were working on Arthur. When they pulled away, Arthur had a spot around his right eye and a very curly mustache that stretched from one side of his face to the other.

They were all laughing at each other, and Feliciano even went 'mew' once which sent them into fits.

"Ok, that's enough," Rose said. She finished setting up their beds and walked over. "Let's get your faces cleaned and then you can get some sleep."

Feliciano nodded as Rose picked her up. Rose found a rag and dipped it in some water, washing away the spot on her nose and the whiskers before setting her down. In a few minutes, the group had been wiped clean of the marks on their faces and had all been tucked into bed. Feliciano insisted on sleeping next to Lovino, and they weren't getting anywhere by arguing.

"Night," Feliciano muttered as she feel asleep.

"Good night," Alfred and Arthur responded.

Matthew took the last bed and was about to fall asleep when his polar bear asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Matthew," he replied sleepily.

**/AN**

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone!**

**Chibi Japan is coming, so don't need to worry. I had fun writing up this chapter. :D**** And please, keep requesting more characters! I'm also working on placing Hong Kong, Russia, and Prussia in the story. Ed's going to have a lot on his hands, but don't let that stop you from requesting more chibi countries from showing up!**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	6. Chapter 6

The scream ripped through the town-city of Liore as the noon hour crept upon the citizens. Everyone that heard it immediately turned in the general direction it came from, one of the apartment complexes the city had.

The news of the scream traveled fast, and within a few minutes, the news about the scream reached the ears of the Fullmetal Alchemist. He turned to the two girls talking about it and called out, "What happened?"

"I can't be to sure," the one of the right explained, "But there was a scream coming from one of the apartments near the church. I don't know what happened after that, but I think that someone from the military showed up to help handle the situation."

Edward nodded, trying to keep the rising worry in his chest from taking hold of his body. "Thanks for the tip," he said before turning back to Alphonse.

"Brother-"

"I know. Come on, Al."

Edward and Alphonse quickly made their way to Rose's apartment. From the outside, it didn't look like anything was wrong, but the tension in the air around the building was thick, and that made them all the more worried about what happened.

"I can't let you pass," someone at the entrance said.

"Why not?" Edward asked.

"I decided it would be best to make sure no one went in. It's not a good idea for-"

Edward cut his explanation short by pulling out his State Alchemist certification.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Mr. State Alchemist. You guys can go on ahead." The man stepped away from the door.

Edward nodded, putting the watch back and running up the stairs.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Edward and Alphonse found themselves covered in tomatoes. _Where did Lovino get tomatoes all the way out here? _Edward asked himself.

"Hey, bastard!" Lovino shouted. "I thought your military was supposed to be protecting us!"

Edward shook his head. "They are!" Edward shouted.

"Brother," Alphonse said. He motioned to the group and said, "Feliciano's missing."

"Huh?" Edward took a look at the group again, and did a headcount. It seemed like everyone was there. Then he realized that there was only one cap of red hair amidst all the chibis, and there was a new silver one instead.

Lovino kicked him multiple times, grunting with each kick, "Then. Why. Did. One. Take. Feliciano?" By the time he finished, he sat down and rubbed his foot, not realizing Edward's left leg – the one he had been kicking – was made of automail.

"What? Ok, I need an explanation," Edward stated.

Arthur called out, "She's not dead! Just fainted."

"Oh thank god," Alfred sighed. He walked over to Rose, who was lying on the ground.

Edward took the scene in again. Rose was lying on the ground with what Edward really hoped wasn't a bullet hole through one of her shoulders, a silver-haired chibi, and Feliciano missing. The only blood was coming from the wound in Rose's shoulder, but everyone else seemed unharmed, and nothing seems to have moved.

He crouched down next to Lovino, saying, "I need to know what happened."

"This damned bastard showed up, shot Rose, and took Feliciano," Lovino grunted.

Edward sighed. "I kind of figured that."

"He's not going to come back, is he?" Peter asked, hiding behind one of the couches.

Alphonse walked over, saying, "Of course not, Peter. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well, we were all sitting there just talking when someone knocked on the door. Rose went and answered it and the guy forced her back inside. He was wearing a blue uniform and had blonde hair, standing about as tall as the doorway. Once he had the door closed behind him, he demanded that Rose give him Feliciano. Rose refused, so he threatened her with a gun. It didn't stop her, though, and she made sure that she was in the way of the gun. When she didn't move he…he…" Peter started crying, obviously not wanting to go on.

Arthur walked over and finished, "He shot rose and grabbed Feliciano. I tried to stop him by using some of my magic but I just got _him_." Arthur stabbed his finger at the silver-haired kid, who looked fine sitting there in the middle of a crime scene, content even. Arthur walked over to the kid and asked, "Why do you always have to show up? Do you hate me or something?"

"Nope~" the kid replied happily. "Oh, wait." He said, pausing as he thought about it. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Well now that bastard's got Feliciano, and he may have been working for Francis!" Lovino shouted.

The room fell dead quiet, before the silver-haired new arrival said, "Well, this doesn't really concern me." He got up to leave.

Edward blocked his way, saying, "Hold it."

"Kol kol kol," the kid muttered at being blocked.

"What's your name?" Edward asked.

"Ivan," the kid replied. "Can I go now? I must be getting back home."

"I don't think you're going anywhere," Edward replied, looking down at him. "Right now, our first priority is getting Rose some help. Arthur, can you make sure Ivan stays here?"

"What?" Arthur asked.

Edward either didn't hear him or ignored him. He walked over to Alphonse and said, "I'm going to find a phone to call Mustang. He's not going to be happy about this, but we're going to need to get Rose to a hospital and the rest of them into military custody until we can get Feliciano back."

"What makes you bastards think I'm going with you?" Lovino shouted. "One of those bastards from your military took my little brother; you think I'm going to let myself be taken into their custody?"

"Brother?" Alphonse and Edward asked in unison.

"Feliciano!" Lovino shouted. Then he paused, before gripping his head with his hand. "You thought he was a girl, didn't you?"

"Feliciano's a boy?" Edward and Alphonse asked in unison. They looked at each other, wondering how that was possible. Feliciano didn't seem like a boy.

"Yes he's a boy!" Lovino shouted.

Arthur called out, "You guys can complain later, just get those military guys here quickly." It was easy to tell that Ivan was making him very, _very_ nervous, though why was anyone who didn't know Ivan's guess.

Edward walked out, still trying to come to the terms that Feliciano was a boy, and when he finally reached a phone tried to push it out of his head as he called Mustang.

"Colonel Mustang, East Headquarters," Mustang replied.

"Did you know Feliciano's a boy?" Edward blurted out, before sighing. "Sorry, I just had a lot to deal with," Edward muttered, completely embarrassed he just said that.

Mustang said, "Of course Feliciano's a boy. Makes a pretty convincing girl, though, doesn't he? Now, is there any real reason you called me, Fullmetal?"

Edward sighed again. He really didn't want to explain what happened, but he did anyway.

"One of our own men kidnapped him?" Mustang asked.

"You think-" Edward started.

"It couldn't be anyone else," Mustang said. "I'll send some of my men there right away to pick you guys up. We'll also need to pay a little visit to Central. Make sure no one get Lovino!"

"Right," Edward replied, but the phone was already dead. He hurried back to the apartment and found that Rose had regained consciousness, Alphonse trying to bind the bullet wound.

"No one else came," Alphonse told him the moment he entered.

Edward nodded. "Mustang's sending some of his men here right now."

"I already told you, I'm not going with the military bastards!" Lovino shouted.

"Lovino!" Edward shouted over the Italian. "It wasn't someone from the military." He explained. "I can't be certain, but he was simply disguising himself as a MP."

"Is Feliciano going to be all right?" Arthur asked.

Edward stayed silent.

xxx

"Where are you taking me?" Feliciano cried.

"Oh, can't you just shut up already?" the MP complained as he walked down the tunnel. Getting the kid had been surprisingly easy, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with her before he choked the kid to death.

"Envy, you've returned," the black-haired female greeted him as he walked in.

The MP had red lightning shoot across his body as he turned into a familiar spiky green-haired transvestite known as Envy the Homunculus. "Yea but let me tell you, this kid is annoying as hell."

"Where am I? Who's she?" Feliciano asked.

Envy held the little persona of North Italy out and said, "Please tell me I'm not going to be the one babysitting."

"We've already gotten that taken care of," Lust explained. "I'm sure that this little one will be fine around Pride and Wrath."

"What?" Feliciano asked.

**/AN**

**Cliffhanger. I found Ed's and Al's reaction to finding out Feli's a guy priceless, but do you guys think you can do better? Review with your ideas on what happens when they realize it, and I'll turn the ones I find the best into an omake. But please, keep them rated T! And don't forget to suggest countries to join Ed and Al as they search for Feli, or maybe they'll join the Homunculi…you shall never know~ Not until the next chapter, anyway!**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	7. Chapter 7

"No one's seen him?" Edward asked as he stormed into Mustang's office. The group just arrived from Liore, Rose being sent to the hospital and Edward, Alphonse, and each of the chibis he's been looking after went straight to East HQ.

Mustang shook his head. "I've still got people searching, but if we're going to have any hope of finding Feliciano, we're going to need to head to Central and search ourselves."

"Have you told Roderich and Antonio?" Lovino asked.

"No," Mustang replied. "It looks like we're dealing with our own enemies, not anyone that you could consider an-"

"That bastard became my enemy the moment he kidnapped Feliciano!" Lovino shouted over him.

Mustang smiled. "That's the kind of conviction I like to see," he stated. He turned to Edward and asked, "Is there anywhere that you might be able to drop them off? I don't want anyone else getting taken through the course of this mission."

"Winry can look after them," Edward stated. "She's not going to be happy about what happened, but she'll take care of them while we find Feliciano." Edward was rubbing the back of his head, already feeling those wrenches Winy would throw at him.

Mustang nodded. "Go ahead and call her. I wouldn't tell her just yet that Feliciano's been kidnapped, but explain that you've got some business in Central and need someone to look after…" Mustang looked behind Edward at all the chibi countries inside his office, counting them. "All six of your charges."

"My only charges are Feliciano and Lovino, the rest just tagged along!" Edward shouted.

Arthur said, "Stop your arguing! Who knows what they could be doing to Feliciano right now? We need to get moving!"

"I'll stay here and look after them," Alphonse said,

Edward sighed as he left to find a non-military phone.

"Rockbell residence," Winry's familiar voice said on the first ring.

"Hey Winry," Edward said.

"Ed!" Winry stated. Then, almost like she was anticipating it, she asked, "You didn't break your automail, did you?"

"No, no," Edward reassured her. "But listen, I need you to look after Lovino and his…friends…while I head to Central." Edward wasn't even sure if he could call the rest of them friends or not.

"No problem. What's going on in Central?" Winry asked.

Edward paused, trying to find an excuse. With none forthcoming, he sighed and confessed, "Someone kidnapped Feliciano. We believe that the kidnapper's in Central, but we're not positive."

"SOMONE TOOK FELICIANO!" Winry cried. Edward jerked away from the phone and when he put it back, he heard Den barking in the background.

"Yes. I can explain it better when we arrive, but or now you're just going to need to trust me." _And not kill me when you see me. _Edward wanted to add.

Edward could hear Winry huff, "Fine. Get here the next chance you get. Oh, and exactly how many are there?"

Edward quickly counted in his head. "Five."

"Ok," Winry said. "I'll see you in a bit Edward."

"Yea, bye," Edward mumbled, hanging up. He sighed; that conversation did NOT go how he wanted it too.

When Edward got back to Mustang's office, Mustang said, "I hope she agreed."

"She did, don't worry," Edward muttered. "So when are we leaving?"

"The train's leaving in fifteen minutes," Mustang stated.

"What?" Edward asked.

"Come on," Mustang said. Edward checked and made sure everyone was there before following Mustang out. Arthur was holding onto Alfred and Peter, Ivan following behind them. Edward turned and found Lovino trailing behind them.

"Hey, is everything all right?" Edward asked him.

Lovino glared at him, muttering, "Everything's fine…bastard…"

"Edward…?"

"Alphonse, go on ahead," Edward stated, his eyes not leaving the top of Lovino's head.

Once Edward was sure they were alone, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's always Feliciano," Lovino grumbled. "I'm the older one, but everyone only seems to care about Feliciano."

"Maybe that's for a different reason than you think," Edward said. "When I first met you two, Feliciano didn't make an impression on me as being strong or managing to help himself. You, on the other hand, you hit me with a tomato. You seem prepared to fight if it came to it. People naturally look towards the weak so they can take advantage of them or use them, and that's why they pick Feliciano out of both of you. He doesn't come off as strong, but you do."

"Really?" Lovino asked.

"Hey, don't go and start doubting yourself. I'd hate to admit I got pelted with tomatoes by someone who didn't believe in himself," Edward said, grinning at Lovino. "Now come on and smile. We _will_ get Feliciano back, and we're not going to rest until we do."

"Yea!" Lovino agreed. He ran out of the room, and Edward turned to follow. There was still pieces missing, but it was easy to tell that Lovino really cared about his little brother.

xxx

"Hello," Selim Bradley greeted Feliciano.

"Ah," Feliciano muttered, looking up at him. Selim stood about a head taller than him and had a mess of black hair on his head. "Where am I?" Feliciano asked.

"You're in my home, in Central," Selim said brightly. "Come on, I can show you around."

"Selim, I hope you're not bothering our new arrival," the voice of King Bradley said from behind him.

Feliciano turned around and found that King Bradley was even taller than Edward, and Feliciano found himself craning his neck backwards and ended up falling over in an attempt to see his face.

"You must be tired," Bradley said, kneeling down. Now that Feliciano could see his face, he realized that Bradley had an eye patch.

"No," Feliciano replied. "I'm hungry, though." As if in agreement, his stomach growled.

"Don't worry," Selim said, "Food's being prepared right now! It'll be super good!"

"Yay!" Feliciano cheered.

Selim looked at King Bradley and asked, "Can I play with Feliciano for a little bit?"

"Of course, Selim," Bradley said. "I must be getting back to work."

"Right," Selim said. "Bye dad!"

"Goodbye," Bradley said. He turned and left the room.

The silence that settled stayed there for a few moments, before Selim told Feliciano, "Don't worry. Just be a good boy and we won't have any need to hurt you."

Feliciano cringed away from Selim.

**/AN**

**I really didn't like Feliciano's meeting with Selim and King Bradley, but hey:**

**Next chapter: More countries!**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	8. Chapter 8

"Brother!" the cry was sudden and the effects immediate. Edward turned to the source of the voice, but not without hearing Ivan groan beside him.

A young girl no bigger than the rest of Edward's chibi group wearing a purple waitress outfit ran up and jumped on Ivan, latching herself to his arm and staring at him obsessively. "Hello, Natalya," Ivan muttered, his face clearly giving off a '_How did you get here?_' look.

"I'm so glad I found you, brother. Now we can get married and be one forever," Natalya said to him.

Edward's head met the pavement at the statement. These guys didn't look to be any older than five, yet one was already talking about marriage? To her _BROTHER_?

Mustang watched in amusement. "Well, this is an interesting development," he said.

Arthur asked Edward, "Do I have to watch him now?"

"I guess not…" Edward grumbled. Now he really wasn't looking forward to meeting Winry. He turned towards her house. They had just gotten off the train when that happened, and Edward wasn't sure how well Winry would take seeing their latest arrival.

The group of now ten left for Winry's house, but Edward had to wonder what was making Natalya and Ivan stay with them at this point. He forced Ivan to come along, but it seemed like now that he found his sister, he wouldn't need to stay.

Den ran over to the group barking when they got close enough. "Hey Den," Edward said.

Winry opened the door and called out, "Hey Edward. Alphonse."

"Winry, who's that?" Edward asked, seeing a little face from behind her leg. The kid disappeared the next moment, though.

"Long story," Winry said, motioning them inside.

Once everyone was settled and accounted for, Edward counted up the chibis. There were nine there, plus Feliciano made ten. Edward was quietly asking himself how he managed to get so many kids following him around, and silently started cursing out Antonio and Roderich for landing him in this position in the FIRST place.

"Ok, so who should start?" Winry asked, looking at all of Edward's chibi followers. Right now Alfred, Arthur, and Peter were talking with a little boy in a simple black outfit. On his other side, Lovino sat by himself glaring at everyone while Ivan, with Natalya still hanging onto his arm, was talking with another new chibi and who appeared to be his little sister.

"I guess I should," Edward sighed, and proceeded to explain how he ran into each of the chibis sitting around them in the two days since he left. At the same time he was mentally kicking himself for letting this happen in the first place.

Winry nodded when Edward finished. "Well, I can see now why you asked to have them all stay here." She looked around. Lovino was now talking with Alphonse about something and Mustang had disappeared into the kitchen, probably to talk to Pinako.

"You really won't mind?" Edward asked her, absently watching Alfred trying to convince Arthur to do something while Peter talked with the chibi from before.

"No, I've got my hands full anyway," Winry said, watching them also. She pointed to the one talking to Peter and said, "He called himself Kiku. I'm not sure what happened, but when I was out walking Den, I ran across him and brought him back. It wasn't until the other two showed up that I realized they might have something to do with Feliciano and Lovino."

Edward shook his head, turning to the other two countries. "I don't know about Feliciano and Lovino, but all of them seem to know each other. This just keeps getting more confusing, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to stand it."

Mustang chose that moment to walk back into the room. "Sorry to cut this short, but we've got to be going if we're to reach Central. I just talked with the person we're meeting there and he said he'll be waiting at the train station tomorrow for us."

"We're meeting someone there?" Edward asked.

Mustang nodded. "I'm not sure who he is myself, but I explained the situation of how you managed to find all of them," he motioned to the chibis around the room, "And he thought more may have shown up, with the goal of taking Feliciano from his captors to give to Francis."

"Did you receive a name?" Edward asked absently.

"He called himself Ludwig," Mustang answered.

**/AN**

**Short chapter is short and I apologize. I also apologize about not updating on Feliciano this chapter, but hopefully we'll get to see him next chapter.**

**Oh, and confused yet? XD I swear all your confusions will be answered in the upcoming chapters. (And anyone who can figure out the explanation about Lud before I post the next chapter will get a cookie~)**

**Don't forget to send in countries to join (and at this point, if you want them to show up and join Edward or the Homunculi, mention it or I'll just toss them one way or the other) and your Edward/Alphonse reactions to Feliciano being a boy.**

**R&R Please~**

**AN/**


	9. Chapter 9

Edward, Alphonse, and Mustang were about to leave when Lovino ran up and said, "I'm coming too!"

"No," Edward replied bluntly. Before Lovino could object, Edward said, "You'll be safer here. We don't know what the people who took Feliciano will do to he-him."

Lovino still looked ready to object, but Alphonse knelt down next to him and said, "You're going to be needed here. Winry doesn't know everyone and she'll need help. You can give her that help because you do know everyone."

Lovino nodded. "Bring Feliciano back safely," he told them, before turning around and running back over to the group in the living room.

"I think you're getting better about handling him," Mustang said smugly.

"Aw, shut it," Edward growled, walking out the door. "We're going to need to get to the train station if we're supposed to meet this Ludwig guy on time."

Alphonse chuckled, saying, "Coming, Brother," and ran after him. Mustang followed behind, smiling. There wasn't a moment he regretted putting the Vargas Brothers in Edward's care.

xxx

Edward yawned, sighing softly at the same time. The train they were taking to Central had been delayed so now they were stuck waiting for it. Mustang wandered over to the phone to call Ludwig and explain about the delay while Alphonse was sitting next to him.

"This still doesn't make any sense," Alphonse said once he was sure no one was listening. "Everything that's happening with Feliciano and Lovino and Arthur and Alfred and all of them. It's like there's some missing clue."

"You're right about that, Al," Edward grumbled, stifling another yawn. "I just don't know what that clue is. Though, it seems like once we get this clue, everything will fall into place immediately."

A pause. "Do you really think it would be a good idea for us to find out this clue?" Alphonse asked.

Edward shook his head. "I can't say either way. The fact remains that there's something that's not right about the family ties for Feliciano and Lovino, and we're in charge of protecting them."

Mustang walked back over, saying, "He's agreed to wait for us at the train station."

"Did he ever mention how we'd recognize him?" Edward asked.

Mustang chuckled, replying, "He simply said that he gets the feeling we'll know it's him when we see him."

"That's not very helpful," Edward sighed.

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a whistle blowing. It was the train to Central, and the trio made their way over to it. Edward was looking forward to some sleeping, especially since he hadn't gotten very much of it over the past few days. After a quick count, he found it hard to believe it's only been four days since he was standing in Mustang's office, that a week ago he had been ignorant of the Vargas Brother's existence.

"Brother," Alphonse said, shaking him awake. Edward must've fallen asleep, because the sun was dipping below the horizon. Edward looked out the window and found that the train was slowing. "We're here," Alphonse told him.

Edward stretched and stood up, looking around for Mustang. He spotted Mustang's black hair a few seats away talking to a group of females, probably in their early or mid-twenties.

Edward watched as Mustang bid the ladies farewell and walked off the train once it stopped. Edward and Alphonse followed, Edward prepared to chew Mustang out for what he saw, but he never got the chance.

"Why does the awesome me have to get stuck with someone like you? You're not awesome!" the voice of a kid said. Edward didn't know why, out of all the talk, he picked up this kid's voice. Edward looked around and found he couldn't even see where the kid was.

"You heard that also?" Alphonse muttered, looking around also.

"You heard it?" Edward asked.

Alphonse nodded. Before they could continue their conversation, Mustang appeared in front of them. "What are you two standing there looking like dummies about? We need to find Ludwig, and you two are the only ones that might be able to recognize him."

"Yea, might," Edward scoffed, looking around again. For a moment he thought he caught a flash of silver, but it must've been nothing because the next moment it was gone. "Did he even say where he would be?"

"He just said he'd be waiting for us by the train," Mustang stated.

Edward stood there for what seemed to be a very long time, before finally seeing who he thought he was supposed to. "There," Edward stated, pointing to the blonde near the end of the train. The group picked up their cases and made their way over.

"You're Ludwig?" Mustang asked. Edward was staring in shock. From the sound of it, they were supposed to be meeting a grown man, probably like Antonio. He wasn't expecting to meet a blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid decked in black.

"I am," the kid calling himself Ludwig replied. "I've taken a look around the station. So far it doesn't seem like any of Francis' followers have shown up yet."

"Out of the way!" a kid shouted. A silver-haired male shoved through the group, disappearing into the crowd, but not before Edward saw his red eyes.

Edward was sure he was the only one that caught the look of shock that appeared for a brief moment on Ludwig's face. He wasn't sure if he imagined it, though, because the next moment he was composed and looking back at the group. "I've already gotten us rooms so we can talk about what happened in more privacy."

If Edward thought his shocks were over, he wasn't expecting that. He didn't look to be any older than Lovino, yet he was already booking hotel rooms and appeared to be traveling on his own. Edward didn't start until he was twelve, but he always had Alphonse by his side, he was never alone.

The group walked out of the station and made their way to a nearby hotel. Once they were inside one of the rooms, Ludwig sat down on one of the beds and asked, "What do you know about Feliciano's kidnappers?"

"They're a group of beings we call Homunculi. They look human, but they aren't. They've got their own secret agenda that seems to require the Elric Brothers," Mustang stated.

Ludwig nodded. "Then it would make sense for them to take Feliciano. If the enemy won't cooperate, take someone important to them, and they'll follow to make sure the taken remains safe."

"You speak like you know them," Edward said, suspicious.

"The best way to know one's enemy is to think like him," Ludwig stated. "I've learned that in my battles, and it's helped me win because I could find the weak points and send my armies through them."

Edward suddenly took a different view on Ludwig. One moment he seemed like a wandering kid, the next it sounded like he was a military leader. Without thinking, Edward asked, "What are you?"

"I'm not human either," Ludwig replied simply, "but I can also assure you I'm not a Homunculus. If I were to truly tell you what I was, you wouldn't understand right now."

The reply left Edward more confused than before. Ludwig said before he could ask, "Feliciano and Lovino are like me. We're still growing, but one day our bodies will stop growing, and we will live forever in the bodies of young adults."

This left Edward dumbfounded, and just by looking at Mustang, he could tell Mustang was just as confused.

"I'll explain everything else in due time," Ludwig said quickly. "For now we need to focus on getting Feliciano back."

Edward nodded, but he couldn't resist asking. "Who was that kid that shoved through us? You acted like you knew him."

The shock was clear on Ludwig's face, but he said, "That was Gilbert Beilschmidt. He's like us, everyone you've met so far is. Antonio and Roderich, Arthur, Alfred, Peter, Ivan, all of us. The difference is that Gilbert seems to be working for someone else, and that's not good news for anyone."

"How so?" Edward asked.

"Gilbert's fought many wars, he's had a lot of experience. Experience that only comes from fighting over so many years. Whoever he's working with, it's not going to help us, considering that he should be anticipating us to go at him now. And that's just Gilbert. There could be others working alongside him."

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "How could you guys have so much experience, for as young as you guys look?"

"As I explained, we'll stop growing once we become young adults, but we can only grow so fast," Ludwig said mysteriously. "If I had to guess at who else is on Gilbert's side, my first bet would be Abel Densen."

xxx

"Well?" the tall female that was the embodiment of Lust asked as Gilbert ran up.

Gilbert stated, "It's Ludwig all right."

"Well, then, we're just going to have to up our schedule a bit." Lust smiled, and turned and left the station without another word.

Gilbert took one glance at Gluttony and ran after her, not wanting to be left with someone he claimed 'wasn't awesome'.

"You sure there isn't anyone else?" Lust asked him once she made sure Gluttony and Gilbert were following her.

Gilbert said, "I already said that our only other option would be Elizabeta, but she's not going to work with us because you've got Feliciano."

Lust didn't reply, which led Gilbert to scowl. "Listen, if you want someone else, I'll give you someone else."

"Oh, and who might that be?"

"Abel Densen."

**/AN**

**The cookie goes too xxSweet Memory. *gives cookie* Nice job, and thank you for playing my little game~ lol**

**I enjoyed writing the little session where Edward and HRE were questioning each other, though. Really hard to put it into words, but I like how it turned out.**

**BTW: I'm getting some of the names from a possible list that Himaruya-sensei posted on his blog. I looked at the names and just picked one. So, until stated otherwise, Abel Densen's Denmark in my story.**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	10. Chapter 10

"Abel Densen?" Mustang asked.

Ludwig nodded. "Which means the rest of them won't be far behind." Without warning, he jumped off the bed, wrote a quick note, and opened the window.

What appeared to be a carrier pigeon landed in front of the country. Ludwig tied the note around its leg and it flew off.

"Hopefully I'll get a reply by morning," Ludwig said, closing the window.

Edward stared at the now closed window, asking, "What was with the bird?"

"Carrier pigeon," Ludwig stated. "It'll carry my message to Antonio since we don't have phones to communicate that'll function properly. Hopefully he'll get me a reply by morning."

"Speaking of morning, we're going to need to wake early so we can start looking for Feliciano," Mustang said.

With that, Edward, Alphonse, and Mustang went into the next room.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Edward asked, skeptical of the kid-military leader.

Alphonse replied, "It's not like we've got any other choice."

"I'd rather work alone," Edward stated. "For all we know, he's working for Francis and will take Feliciano the first chance he gets."

Mustang shook his head. "That's not likely. Roderich and Antonio both said Ludwig's on their side. We can trust him."

"Well, I'm keeping an eye on him," Edward growled. With that, he promptly fell asleep.

xxx

"Augh!"

Alphonse's scream brought Mustang and Edward back to consciousness. It took a moment, but they realized that Alphonse's cry came from Ludwig's room. They ran in, Edward thinking that he was right and Francis was in there, ready to take Alphonse hostage in a demand for Feliciano and Lovino.

The only resident was a male in his early twenties trying to calm Alphonse. Edward looked around, not finding Ludwig, before looking back at this man.

"What happened to Ludwig?" Edward growled, stepping in front of Alphonse and extending a sword from his automail.

"I am Ludwig," the other man replied. "I should've explained this last night, but with Gilbert showing up, I forgot."

Edward asked, "How can you be Ludwig. He's a little kid!"

"Ed," 'Ludwig' said, "I told you I wasn't human. I'm not sure what happens myself, but while I'm here, I'll switch between my body and an older version of myself."

"Then why isn't anyone else affected by it?" Edward asked. He wasn't sure he'd like waking up one morning and finding everyone was taller than him.

Ludwig shrugged. "I've thought of a number of possibilities, none of them ones I like to keep my thoughts on for very long," he said simply. There was a tapping on the window at this point, and Ludwig turned towards the window and opened it. The carrier pigeon from before entered, holding out its leg. There was a paper attached to the leg, which Ludwig removed and read.

"Danke," he told the bird, letting it fly out of the window and closing it. Ludwig turned to the rest of the group and said, "Gilbert's in an alliance with Francis," Ludwig said. "Not surprising, since Roderich and Antonio are enemies with Gilbert and Arthur's on our side right now."

"What?" Edward asked, confused by what Ludwig just said.

Ludwig shook his head. "Nothing. Point is Gilbert's most likely got his own agenda. One that likely involves Feliciano."

Mustang observed the whole thing in silence. Now, he spoke up, saying, "then we'll just have to find Feliciano first."

The group split up. Alphonse was going to check for any traces of Feliciano in the North side of Central, Edward the West, Mustang the South, and Ludwig the East side.

Alphonse went around asking people if they've seen the Italian, but with no success in his search. What he didn't realize was that Lust was watching from the shadows.

Edward wandered around calling out "Feliciano!" like there was no tomorrow. He was ignorant of the balding man watching his every move.

Mustang sent out patrols of one or two MPs to do his job for him while he hung around, not seeing the figure of Wrath following him.

Ludwig remained inconspicuous, trying to pick up any talk of Feliciano or any sign of his friend and crush. He was thankful that his body changed into that of Germany so people weren't asking him what a kid was doing by himself and where his parents were.

Ludwig was rewarded, for he heard Feliciano ask, "Where are we going, Selim?" and saw Feliciano a moment later.

The kid that must've been Selim was pulling Feliciano behind him. He said, "We're going to the library! Come on!"

Ludwig moved from his position and followed the two, not drawing attention.

He followed them right to the library. This appeared to be a public library, so there wouldn't be any problems in keeping an eye of them while he pretended to be doing other things. He waited a few minutes before entering the library, easily finding the white cap of his lover.

Ludwig walked over to one of the nearby bookshelves and started looking through the books, not really seeing them as he listened to Selim and Feliciano.

Selim looked around to make sure they weren't going to be overheard. The only one nearby pulled out a book and appeared to be too consumed in his book to hear the ramblings of two kids. "You've been a good kid so far," Selim said, his voice becoming slightly metallic.

Feliciano shuddered, trying to move away from Selim, but he pulled Feliciano closer, making it look like Selim was showing his 'friend' part of a book. Feliciano whimpered. "Are you scared?" Selim asked. "Do you want to go crying for the Elrics and their little friends?"

Feliciano still didn't reply, and Ludwig could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end at Selim's voice. He couldn't suppress the shudder that overcame him other. A little kid Selim may be, but he sounded like anything but one with that voice.

"Don't worry, we're almost ready, then you'll get to see your precious guardian again," Selim muttered, laughing before saying in his normal voice, "This is the one I'm going to get! Come on!" With that, Selim dragged Feliciano off again.

Ludwig's eyes watched them all the way. Poor Feliciano was still shuddering from the conversation, and it took everything Ludwig had to stay there for a little longer before putting the book back and leaving. There wasn't any sign of Selim and Feliciano, but he knew who he was looking for, so he returned to the hotel.

Edward, Alphonse, and Mustang reported that they had no luck. Then Ludwig explained what took place at the library.

"Selim," Edward muttered. "They didn't waste a moment in placing him into the hands of the most powerful Homunculus there."

"Is Feliciano all right?" Alphonse asked.

Ludwig stated, "Feliciano appeared to be fine, but was still scared when they left."

Mustang nodded. "We'll go into standby until we find out what the Homunculi's true goals are."

"Right," the other three replied, though Ludwig didn't look at all happy by this statement.

xxx

"Hey Abel," Gilbert greeted the Chibi Denmark.

Abel smiled, saying, "Francis wasn't happy about sending us all this way." Behind him, the figures of Berwald, Tino, Lukas, and Emil could be seen.

Gilbert waved to them, saying, "Don't worry, everything's going according to plan so far. We just need to keep them busy until we can grab Feliciano. Then we're home free."

Lukas pushed his way to the front, asking, "And if this doesn't work?"

"Then Ludwig gets Feliciano back and Francis is going to kill us," Gilbert said bluntly, before adding, "Except it's impossible to kill the awesome Prussia!"

He received many hisses from the Nordics at using his country name.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, saying, "It should be tomorrow or the next day when we can grab Feliciano. Then we're just have to worry about Lovino."

"You got a plan?" Abel asked.

Gilbert nodded, bringing all of them together. "This is how we're going to do it..."

**/AN**

**Berwald: Sweden**

**Tino: Finland**

**Lukas: Norway**

**Emil: Iceland**

**Again, these names were looked up and were among the list of possibilities that Himaruya-san said might be used for their human ones.**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	11. Chapter 11

**/AN**

**Sadly I've had to give up on recovering the lost chapter for this fanfiction and have rewritten it. Thank you guys so much for your support and understanding my dilemma.**

**And now, on with the story (none of which I own, no matter how much I wish I could claim I did)**

**AN/**

The next morning, Edward found the little kid that was Ludwig standing in the room like it was the most natural thing in the world, especially after they had met a twenty-something male claiming to be him yesterday.

"No, the change isn't normally day-by-day," Ludwig stated like he read Edward's mind. "Once I went for weeks in my adult body."

Edward was slightly disturbed to find that he could talk about something so _naturally_. He wasn't given the chance to voice this, though, as Mustang beat him too it.

"That aside, first thing's first," Mustang stated. "We've got summons from Fuhrer King Bradley. Fullmetal, Alphonse, and I are to go and speak with him."

"Isn't he one of the Homunculi?" Ludwig asked.

Mustang nodded. "Which means that Feliciano must be involved, but we can't risk bringing you because we don't know whether they know about you or not, and he never mentioned you."

"This'll just give us a reason to scout out the military base," Ludwig pointed out. "You guys go and meet him, and I can take a look around."

There wasn't any reply, but the looks on their faces said everything.

"Well, we can be almost certain that if this does involve Feliciano. Which means that there isn't going to be any reason to check the base," Alphonse pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

Ludwig knew what Alphonse was thinking. "You're right, if you've got a victim, why hide said victim within the rescuer's reach? No, their hiding Feli somewhere else."

"The tunnel under Central," Alphonse said. "Not many people know about it, so it's a safe bet."

"And it runs under the military base," Edward agreed.

Mustang nodded. "Well, that's settled. While we go talk to Fuhrer King Bradley, Ludwig, you can search out the tunnel below."

Ludwig said, "Just point me to the entrance."

With that, the group of four left, Ludwig disappearing into the crowd after a few blocks.

xxx

"Everyone know what they're doing?" Gilbert asked. A few feet away, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Pride were talking with a shadowy figure they referred to as 'Father'. Standing by Gilbert were the Nordics, talking amongst themselves.

"We know," Abel replied.

Gilbert nodded. "Where did they put Italy?"

More hissing at the use of a country name, but Gilbert, being the awesome person he is, shrugged it off without a second thought.

"Emil?" Abel asked, looking at the chibi Iceland.

He walked up to Gilbert and motioned down one of the hallways. "Go through there. Take your fifth right, go up the first set of stairs you come across, take the corridor on your left at the top, the stairs on your right should take you down three flights, Run the length of that hallway and climb the ladder at the end. You should come out in the middle of nowhere. From there, run east until you find another manhole cover. Feliciano's in there," Emil stated. "I can't give you instructions for the inside, though."

Gilbert nodded. "Then why don't we start?"

Lukas muttered, "The sooner we can get out of here the better."

"Berwald? Tino?" Abel asked, turning to Sweden and Finland. "Why don't you start us off?"

The two countries nodded and made their way towards the Homunculi. Once they had started the distraction, Gilbert slipped down the indicated hallway, muttering the directions Emil gave to himself.

xxx

Ludwig dove for cover just in time. He watched as Gilbert ran past, seemingly too intent on what he was doing to bother to notice the Holy Roman Empire. Ludwig followed him without a second thought, making sure to stay far enough away from Gilbert so he wasn't noticed.

After what seemed like a lifetime of running through confusing corridors, popping up at one point and running east for what felt like a good half-hour, Ludwig finally came across a manhole cover. The footsteps that were left behind in a pile of sand disappeared inside it. Ludwig knelt and put an ear to the edge, listening for the Prussian. Once he determined that Gilbert wasn't waiting on the other side, he slid the cover open and jumped inside, looking around. There was only one direction to go, so he took it.

xxx

"Hello, Fullmetal. Mustang. Alphonse," Fuhrer King Bradley greeted them. "I'm assuming you three already know why you've been called."

"It's got to do with Feliciano, doesn't it?" Alphonse asked.

"Very good, Alphonse," Fuhrer King Bradley replied. "I'll make this simple. We've got Feliciano trapped in an undisclosed location in the middle of nowhere. Our request is simple. Stand aside and let what will come to pass happen, and Feliciano shall be freed. If you don't accept our request, however, Feliciano will drown to death."

"You expect to use a child's life to shackle us?" Edward growled.

Fuhrer King Bradley replied, "You should think about it, Edward. It could be the worst mistake you make in your life."

Edward grit his teeth. _Ludwig, you'd better find Feliciano._

xxx

Ludwig quickly got confused in this cavernous tunnel. There were so many splits, but something told him to keep going straight. The tunnel looked to be man-made, and there wasn't any sign of Gilbert.

"Help!"

Ludwig looked up from his trek when he thought he heard someone.

"Please! Is anyone there!"

There wasn't any mistake. That was Feliciano. Ludwig set off at a run, not caring about whether Gilbert heard him or not.

"Italy!" Ludwig called when he got close enough.

Sure enough, hanging in front of him was the little Italian, tied to a chair with chains and various weights hanging off it. "Holy Rome!" Feliciano called.

Edward growled. How could he make the choice between letting the Homunculi get away with their plan and saving Feliciano?

Ludwig saw Gilbert before Gilbert saw him. He sped up, hoping to reach Feliciano first.

"Brother…" Alphonse said, looking at him as he struggled to choose. How could he possibly think about it?

"No! Holy Rome! Wait!" Feliciano cried as he realized that Ludwig wasn't going to see the traps laid out in time.

"Well, Fullmetal? You've got a choice. Stop us and let the kid drown, or walk away with the kid unscathed," Wrath stated.

Ludwig, in a rush of adrenaline, jumped forward, grabbing the bottom of Feliciano's chair. "Holy Rome!" Feliciano cried. Then Ludwig felt a searing pain in his leg.

"I…" Edward muttered. Feliciano or country? If he hadn't known what the Homunculi were planning, he wouldn't have waited this long in answering.

Ludwig gripped the projectile sticking out of his leg and ripped it out. Blood spilled into the pool of water below, but Ludwig didn't seem to notice the pain as he started to move upward to try and reach Feliciano.

…_I'm sorry._ Edward bit his lip, before finally saying, "Keep your hands off our country."

"Brother!" Alphonse cried.

"Fullmetal!" Mustang scolded.

Fuhrer King Bradley chuckled. "Bad choice." He hit a button on his desk.

Ludwig felt the mechanism slack and realized the next second they were falling. "Holy Rome!" Feliciano cried.

Ludwig grabbed Feliciano without thinking, and they sank to the bottom of the tank of water. Ludwig set to work trying to free the binds that held Feliciano captive. Feliciano looked ready to say something, but Ludwig placed a finger over his lover's mouth, indicating that wasn't the time to speak. He seemed oblivious to the red tinge the water was starting to take as his blood leaked out of his leg wound.

Ludwig tugged as hard as he could on the chains, but nothing was working. He swam upwards and gasped.

"Dammit potato bastard! You'd better save Feliciano!"

The voice of Lovino was like a wake-up call. Ludwig turned and saw that Lovino was pelting Gilbert with tomatoes, but paused long enough to throw Ludwig his sword. "What are you waiting for?"

Ludwig nodded, diving back under and this time, with sword in hand, was able to break the shackles. He grabbed Feliciano and pulled the Italian to the surface, dragging her over to the edge and pushing her onto land. Ludwig sat next to her and looked for any signs of life. The rise and fall of her little chest, her breath on his cheek, but there wasn't anything.

"You're not getting away that easily," Ludwig muttered. He started using the Heimlich Maneuver on his little friend.

Feliciano coughed up water, but finally got to that point of where he could see Ludwig. "Holy Rome," he muttered.

"Italy. Oh, Italy," Ludwig sobbed. The two hugged each other, never happier to see each other. "You're ok."

Feliciano smiled as he held Ludwig close, happy to know they were still safe.

**/AN**

**I didn't mean for this chapter to end on such a sappy note! But still, it's so sweet! (It was also supposed to end when Lud realized Lovi was there but…changes happen.**

**While this isn't exactly what I had, this still came out beautifully~ I hope you guys enjoyed reading it!**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	12. Chapter 12

"So, are we going to get to walk away?" Edward asked, but never got an answer because Envy appeared in the window.

"The damn brats turned on us," Envy growled, meaning Gilbert and the Nordics. "They didn't waste a moment, either."

Wrath nodded. "It's too late, anyway." He was fingering the button looking Edward full in the face. Edward stared back, not going to be the one to break his gaze.

"So what do we do?" Envy asked.

"Dispose of them," Wrath replied, sweeping out of the room without a backwards glance.

xxx

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ludwig said. He grabbed Feliciano's hand and, making sure Lovino was following them, started to run for the exit.

Feliciano wasn't sure what was happening anymore. "Where are Ed and Al?"

"They were going to try and compromise with the enemy," Ludwig replied, but suddenly fell as he felt his consciousness slipping.

"Holy Rome!" Feliciano called. "Oh, the wound's really bad."

"Don't you know not to get a wound wet?" Lovino growled, starting to throw tomatoes at the approaching Gilbert.

Ludwig looked Feliciano square in the face and said, "Antonio and…Roderich should be waiting…outside…they'll take you back to…Edward and Alphonse…" It was getting hard to talk, now that his adrenaline rush had gone.

"No! You can't die!" Feliciano cried. "We're supposed to live until we're centuries old and talk about everything that's happened. We're supposed to watch the world evolve. You can't die now!"

Ludwig took Feliciano's hand and smiled at her. "I won't die here, I can promise you that." He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, but was stopped from continuing because of a rush of clothing and the 'clang' as something hit someone's head.

Feliciano, Lovino, and Ludwig all looked and found Elizabeta standing there, frying pan in hand, stopping Gilbert from reaching them. "Go, now!" she called to them.

Feliciano and Lovino, much to the latter's disapproving look, grabbed Holy Rome's arms and held him between them, making for the exit again. Behind them, they could hear Elizabeta beating the shit out of Gilbert.

"What happened?" Roderich asked as he took Ludwig into his grasp.

Feliciano said, "He was hit wi-with one of Gilbert's arrows w-when he was tr-trying to save me." It was easy to tell that Feliciano was crying by the shaking in his voice and the tears that started to run down his face.

Roderich nodded. "Come on," he said. He turned and started to climb one-handed up the ladder and into the daylight, Lovino and Feliciano following.

"Lovi!" Antonio said when they were all in the open. "Didn't Edward tell you to stay with his friend?"

"I couldn't leave those bastards to find Feliciano themselves!" Lovino defended himself.

"It's," Ludwig gasped. "It's all right. If-If he hadn't sh-shown, we wo-wouldn't have been a-able to save Fel-Feliciano." Ludwig was breathing heavily and was gasping for breath when he was finished.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano cried.

Roderich said, "Don't worry. He's going to be fine."

"Fine? We're in the middle of nowhere!" Lovino shouted.

Roderich sighed. "Watch." He laid Ludwig down and turned to Antonio. "Rip one of the sleeves off your shirt."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Antonio did so, staring at Roderich like he was crazy. Roderich was given the cloth, who promptly started to rip it up into strips.

"Hey!" Antonio protested.

"He needs it more than you," Roderich stated. He took one of the strips and tied it tight above Ludwig's leg wound, and then proceeded to use the rest to bind the actual wound. "This is crude, it won't last for long," he explained. He picked Ludwig back up and started walking. Feliciano, Lovino, and Antonio quickly fell into step behind him.

"Will he be all right?" Feliciano asked.

"If we can get back to Central fast enough," Roderich replied. Then he smiled down at the little Italian and finished, "But we are. Don't worry."

Feliciano nodded, looking in the direction they were walking. They didn't appear to be anywhere near Central, though.

Feliciano felt himself get scooped up, and he cried out. Roderich turned but sighed when he saw who it was. "Well met, Alphonse."

Feliciano was laughing now as he hugged Alphonse. "You found us!"

"Of course we did," Edward replied, walking out from behind Alphonse. His self-satisfied smirk disappeared when he saw Ludwig, though. "What happened?" he asked.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt," Antonio said. "Apparently he caught Ludwig in the leg while trying to rescue Feliciano."

Edward nodded. "So why's Lovino here?"

Lovino, who was promptly trying to hide behind Antonio's legs, scowled and said, "I couldn't expect you bastards to be any help in saving Feliciano! And I was right, if I hadn't been there, potato bastard would've died and Gilbert would've taken Feliciano!"

"Wait, but, I thought-" Edward stumbled. He was caught by the fact that Lovino said Feliciano would've been _caught_. Not that he would've _died_.

"You thought that if Feliciano drowned, he would've died," Antonio guessed. Edward nodded. "Ludwig said we weren't human, didn't he? We can't die by things like drowning. We can't even be killed by being hanged. Being shot to death, though, that's different." Antonio glanced at Ludwig in concern at this point.

Edward shook his head. "Ok, Feliciano wouldn't have died. That would've been nice to know, but right now we've got another thing to worry about."

"What?" Feliciano asked.

"The Homunculi are pissed and are on our asses," Edward stated bluntly.

Roderich nodded. "And once Francis hears Gilbert didn't succeed in grabbing Feliciano, that's going to lead to more problems."

"So here's what we're going to do," Edward said. He pulled out his silver watch and gave it to Antonio. "You and Roderich will take Ludwig to the hospital, get his leg healed. Alphonse, you take Feliciano and Lovino and return to Dublith. Teacher should be able to help protect them."

"What about you?" Antonio asked, examining the watch.

"Give me your other sleeve," Edward said. Antonio looked ready to protest, but ripped the sleeve off and gave it to Edward. Edward placed it in the sand and sat there doing nothing but examining it for a few minutes, before finally clapping his hands together and placing them on the cloth. Blue lightning erupted from the spot and sitting in front of him were little dummies that looked like replicas of Feliciano and Lovino. "I'm taking these and going back to Resembool," Edward stated. "Then I can explain the situation to Winry."

"But what if someone sees the real us and tips wine bastard off?" Lovino asked.

"No one will," Edward replied, looking at Alphonse.

"Ah, um…" Alphonse seemed very hesitant.

"Problem?" Edward asked.

In answer, there was mewing.

"Huh?" Feliciano asked. He pulled Alphonse's helmet off and revealed the head of a cat. "Aaaaa!" Feliciano nearly fell of Alphonse's armor, Lovino stared with more tomatoes at the ready, and Edward was glaring at Alphonse, at the same time wondering where Lovino got his tomatoes from.

"What have I said about cats?" Edward asked.

Alphonse replied, "But he was so lonely!"

"Are we missing something?" Roderich asked.

"Explanation later," Edward sighed. "Long story short is that Alphonse doesn't have a body. Lovino and Feliciano are going to hide inside his armor until he gets to Teacher's house. Once they're inside, until we can determine they're safe, they can't leave. I'll contact Alphonse about moving them once I get back to Resembool."

Roderich nodded. "What about Ludwig? What do you want us to do with him when he's healed?"

"And what's the watch for?" Antonio asked.

"Do what you guys want, and tell the people at the hospital I'm paying for you. Give them the watch as proof," Edward explained, picking up the Italian Brother dummies.

Feliciano looked inside Alphonse's armor again. "Is everything really going to be ok?" he asked.

Edward nodded. "Don't worry, it is. Oh, but don't touch the marking on the back of the neck."

"I see," Feliciano replied, and jumped inside, making sure to avoid the blood seal.

Alphonse helped Lovino up and in also, before putting his head back on.

"While you guys are inside, try to avoid making any noise," Alphonse told them.

"Ok!" Feliciano replied from inside the armor.

With that, the group set off towards Central again.

**/AN**

**I hope that cleared up the whole 'death by drowning' thing. Couldn't find a way to add this into the explanation, but the reason the Homunculi tried it in the first place was that they simply didn't know. Gilbert and the Nordics wouldn't divulge that information easily, so they were considered to be humans.**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	13. Chapter 13

**/AN**

**Well, while I would love to say that my reason for not getting this chapter up sooner was because my flash drive had another freak corrupted-but-not-corrupted incident, that's not the case this time around and the fact is simply that I've fallen in love with making Hetalia Papercrafts. I'll be getting pictures up on DeviantART of all my little ones soon, so if you want to see them, I'm willing to give you a link.**

**But enough of my Papercraft rambling. Enjoy the next chapter of Edward's Babysitting Service!**

**AN/**

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Envy chucked the dummy of Feliciano at a wounded Edward. Behind him were Arthur, Alfred, and Peter. Arthur was busy chanting, Alfred was holding a musket – that Edward REALLY didn't want to know how he got – and Peter was staying out of the way watching everything play out.

Edward gasped as he caught the ripped dummy. "You should know better than to underestimate me," Edward replied with a grin. Two months had passed since Feliciano had been caught, and rescued from, the Homunculi. Edward told Alphonse once he reached Resembool to try and keep moving with Feliciano and Lovino as much as possible, avoiding someone from seeing the Vargas Brothers, while Edward continued on his quest for the Philosopher's Stone with the dummies and the trio behind him. Two months ago was also the last time Francis' allies Gilbert, Abel, Berwald, Tino, Emil, and Lukas had been seen. Last time Edward heard from Roderich and Antonio, Ludwig was still injured, but they had been able to move him back to his home, and, from what Edward could guess, was very far away from their current location so they wouldn't have to worry about the Homunculi.

Speaking of Homunculi, it appeared Edward's plan had worked perfectly. Alphonse had told him that he hadn't seen any Homunculi on his trail, and here was Envy standing in front of the elder Elric examining his dummies. "Well, we'll learn from this mistake. So the question is where are the little brats?" Envy stalked forward, pulling a bent and shattered pipe out of a pile of rubble that had been a car a few minutes previously and went to stab Edward with it.

The moment was shattered by Arthur asking, "Why did you show up?"

Envy and Edward, caught off guard, looked at him and found that Ivan was standing next to Arthur, again, completely content with the situation. "Why shouldn't I?" he replied, looking around. "Tell me, where'd you bring me to this time?"

"West City," Arthur growled, "Now can you stop showing up whenever I summon you? I could use the help of a real demon right now!"

Envy laughed. "This is the best you can come up with for an army? Pathetic!" As if to prove his point, Envy walked up to Ivan and flicked him in the forehead.

"Kol kol kol…" Ivan muttered.

Arthur, Alfred, and Peter backed away slowly, pulling Edward along with them.

The next moment Envy was lying on the ground with a faucet pipe in Ivan's hand, who was currently beating Envy so hard red lightning was running the length of his body as his wounds tried to heal themselves.

"What the…?" Edward muttered, staring.

Arthur replied, "Why you never want to get on his bad side. Now come on!"

With another shove, they were deposited on a rather busy side street and Edward couldn't ask about Ivan any further.

xxx

Alphonse looked around. "Ok," he said, lifting his head. Feliciano and Lovino jumped out and looked around also.

"Where are we?" Feliciano asked.

Alphonse replied, "We're near West City. There, over that ridge actually. We're going to be stopping here for the night, though."

"Not another night in the forest," Lovino complained, sighing.

"It could be worse," Feliciano stated, sitting down and yawning. "Big Brother Francis could've gotten us a long time ago."

Lovino shuddered. "Wine bastard can go to hell," he stated.

"Can you two stay here and be quiet?" Alphonse asked. "I'll head to West City and get some food, and make sure the coast is clear."

"Ok," Feliciano replied. This was something they've grown use to doing. Normally Alphonse would find a willing family to look after them for a few hours while he 'ran a few errands' and paid them in kind by helping out with things they needed finished.

xxx

Alphonse walked into the city, looking around cautiously before walking to a nearby vendor and buying some food. Knowing Edward would pass that way, he asked the vendor to give his brother a message. The vendor agreed and Alphonse started to head back for where he left Feliciano and Lovino.

"CHIGI!"

"Ah!" Alphonse remembered that sound. That was Lovino, when someone pulled his curl, something Alphonse accidentally did once and caused Lovino to end up with a head injury after Lovino tried head butting him.

"Lovino!" Alphonse cried, running towards where the left the two boys.

xxx

"Come along, mi amore," Francis said, holding his arms open to the two young Italians. "Why don't you join me?"

"We're never going to join you, wine bastard!" Lovino called.

Francis sighed, and kneeled down. "Oh, but you'll both make such great servants." He seemed to swoon at the thought, and accidentally pulled on Lovino's curl.

"CHIGI!" Lovino shouted and head butted Francis into one of the trees.

"Fratello Francis!" Feliciano cried from behind Lovino, but not making any move to help him.

Francis didn't seem harmed in the slightest. If anything, he actually looked even more excited to of found the Vargas Siblings.

xxx

"Ah!" Alphonse managed to duck behind some nearby undergrowth as a mysterious blond stood up, sighing in affection. "Oh, you two will make such lovely servants."

"I already told you, wine bastard! We're not joining you!" Lovino's voice cried out.

"Oh, little Romano, little South Italy, is that any way to talk when your dear Spain isn't here to protect you?" the man asked.

Color Alphonse confused. South Italy? Spain? _Romano_? What was going on?

"Fratello France, why can't you stop this fighting? Holy Rome's has already gotten hurt! Why must you continue with this!" Feliciano's voice cried out.

'France' replied, "Holy Rome got what was coming to him. Austria and Hungary also have their hands full right now with Prussia, so they're not going to be coming to your aid."

"Well, you've got another thing coming!" Arthur's voice cried out. Alphonse watched as the chibi country jumped out in front of the Vargas Brothers, Alfred and Peter following close behind.

"Nyahahaha! The Hero's arrived!" Alfred cried.

"What?" Alphonse muttered, watching as Edward joined them, saying, "So you're Francis."

xxx

"CHIGI!"

Arthur's head snapped up. "Arthur?" Alfred asked, a little hesitant.

"Well, they're here, but it looks like someone pulled Lovino a little too far," Arthur stated.

Edward didn't understand, but Alfred and Peter must've, because Peter said, "We should hurry, then."

Edward nodded. He ran to a nearby vendor and asked for a few items. The vendor gave the items to him, along with a note. When Edward contacted Alphonse with what he should do, he was very specific in mentioning that in two months from that date, they should be in West City. Edward also explained to Alphonse where to enter and which vendor to use.

Edward ripped open the note and read quickly. The vendor told him, "The one that told me to give this to you ran off quite quickly."

"Thanks," Edward replied, giving him a bit more money than required. "Come on, guys." Edward ran for the forest.

They arrived just in time to hear the mysterious blond tell the Vargas Brothers, "Holy Rome got what was coming to him. Austria and Hungary also have their hands full right now with Prussia, so they're not going to be coming to your aid."

"Francis," Arthur muttered. He ran out of the brush and jumped in front of the Vargas Brothers, saying, "You've got another thing coming." He felt Alfred and Peter join him, and Edward walked out a few moments later.

"So, you're Francis," Edward stated, staring at the blond.

"That's right, mi amore, who would you be?" Francis replied.

Edward said, "I'm the guard for the Vargas Brothers. If you were smart, you would've remained far away. VERY far away."

Francis chuckled. "Mi amore, there's nothing you're going to be able to do to stop me."

Edward clapped his hands together and extended his automail into a sword. "Is that really what you think?"

Francis pulled out his sword. "This is going to be interesting," Francis stated. He jumped forward, slashing at Edward. "Tell me, how long would it take for you to surrender them to me?"

Edward barely blocked his sword, the fatigue from his fight with Envy suddenly overriding him. The shock dislodged his automail and Edward's arm fell limp. "Damn," Edward muttered. He clapped his hands together and slammed his left one into the ground, causing spikes to rise up and stab at Francis.

Francis jumped over them easily. "You're no stranger to combat, it seems," he said. "That's a relief; I wouldn't want to take them from you too easily."

"Edward!" Feliciano cried as Francis went in for another stab. Edward couldn't get himself shielded in time, though.

Edward closed his eyes, waiting for the sword to connect, but it never did. Instead, there was the clang of metal colliding. Edward opened his eyes and found the black-and-gold-clad Ludwig standing in front of him, grimacing slightly. "You're not going to be killing anyone today, Francis," he stated.

"Oh, it looks like your recovery's coming along better than expected," Francis said. "That'll just make things more fun." He snapped his fingers and an army emerged around them.

They were surrounded.

"Sir, we found this one hiding," one of the soldiers stated. They pulled Alphonse up and dumped him at Francis' feet.

"Al!" Edward cried.

"Alphonse!" Feliciano yelled.

"Hello, little spy," Francis said calmly.

Alphonse stared at Francis, asking, "Why do you want Feliciano and Lovino so badly?"

"Mi amore, if I gain them, I gain a whole country," Francis replied smoothly.

**/AN**

**Well, gee, Al! Nice, just sitting there watching the fight play out! And look, Holy Rome's back! (I made him child so Feliciano would recognize him. .)**

**R&R Please!**

**AN/**


	14. Chapter 14

"What do you mean a whole country?" Alphonse asked.

Francis chuckled. "Oh, they haven't told you?"

"I told them what they needed to know," Holy Rome growled, using his sword to turn Francis' face back at him. "There's nothing more they need to know."

"Ah, but I get the feeling that they want to know," Francis replied, looking at Edward.

Edward was looking at each of them, as if the pieces were falling into place. First Francis, then the Vargas Brothers, then Holy Rome, then quickly Arthur, Alfred, and Peter, before jumping back to Francis.

_They can't drown, but they can die by battle wounds._ Edward thought to himself. _Roderich and Antonio aren't related to them, yet they're trying to protect them from Francis, who is their older brother. _Edward's mind jumped back to that first night, when they were at Winry's. He was passing Feliciano's and Lovino's bedroom, heading back to his room from the bathroom, when he overheard them. What did they say? _"It's not! Holy Rome was the one that told them we'd be safe here, and Big Brother France shouldn't know we're here either. We should be safe!" _Feliciano said that, but when those two were talking, they didn't call each other Feliciano and Lovino. What was it they called each other? _Veneziano and Romano. _What else? When they were at Teacher's house, Feliciano said,_ "Holy Rome and Big Brother Francis got into a fight over me before, I don't want to see either of them getting hurt over it again. I don't want to see Roderich or Ms. Elizabeta or Antonio hurt either." _

Putting all these dots together, it was easy to tell that there was something greater here than he originally thought. Finally, something seemed to fall into place as he looked at Ludwig and Francis and thought, _Holy Rome and France._ Then, looking at the Vargas Brothers, _Veneziano and Romano._

Edward was just about to say what he realized when Roderich and Antonio crashed through the trees, making a majority of France's army scatter long enough for the two to reach the Vargas Brothers. Subconsciously, Edward corrected himself to think, _Austria and Spain._

Everything had fallen into place, except for where they came from.

"It's over, Francis," Antonio stated, holding out a halberd. He grinned and said, "There's no where for you to run. Surrender is your only option."

"That's so cliché, Antonio," Francis replied, waving his hand airily. "And besides, your surrounded by my army, what hope do you have?"

"Well," Roderich said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "While we may be down Elizabeta and her army, we've still got one of the best alchemists Amestrian military has. Besides, you already know you've lost."

"Oh, and why's that?" Francis asked.

"Kol kol kol kol…" Ivan muttered, standing amidst all the people.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE!" Francis cried.

Arthur cackled. "Didn't I tell you you've got another thing coming?"

"Arthur, how could you do such a thing?" Francis asked.

"All's fair in war," Arthur replied, stepping back.

Ivan walked forward, pulling his bloody faucet pipe. "Become one with Mother Russia and I won't have to do this~" he stated.

Edward blinked. This took a turn, and something told him that the fresh blood on that pipe was Envy's. Edward inwardly shuddered, somehow finding the ability to feel sorry for the Homunculus.

Francis sighed. "Ok, I surrender," he said.

Cheering. Edward and Alphonse didn't understand what just happened, but something told the Elric Brothers they were going to have to say goodbye to their charges very, very soon.

"We'll give you an hour to leave with your army," Roderich stated, picking up Feliciano. "If we find you still here, you will face the consequences."

Francis nodded. Antonio looked at Edward, mouth open, but Edward said, "Come on. You guys owe one huge explanation."

xxx

"Ok, so you guys are from another world, and not only that, you're embodiments of the COUNTRIES?" Edward asked.

Holy Rome nodded. "Moving…moving Feliciano and Lovino to someplace that wouldn't be easily reached was our best chance of keeping them safe until we could get Francis to surrender."

"Don't worry," Feliciano said from Roderich's lap, where he looked perfectly content. "We'll come back and visit again, someday. Right, fratello?"

"Maybe you will," Lovino grumbled, munching on a tomato Antonio gave him.

Alphonse chuckled. "This is actually quite amazing. I mean, is there a possibility that there's an embodiment for Amestris?"

"If there is, he's done a very good job at hiding himself," Antonio replied. He glanced at a clock and said, "Ah, we must be off. Got to go tell Elizabeta of our victory and all that."

Edward nodded. They were just getting ready to leave when Feliciano hugged Edward. "We'll really come back to visit, I promise."

Edward smiled, patting Feliciano on the head one last time. "I know you will." Then he handed Feliciano back to Roderich and watched them leave.

xxx

"Edward, have you finished with the roof?" Winry called from her house. It was two years after Feliciano, Lovino, Ludwig, Roderich, Antonio, and the rest of them left. Edward called Winry to explain how his automail got dislodged and she told him that everyone she was watching just left, saying their duty was done. They hadn't had contact with them since, and Edward could almost believe it was a dream, if it weren't for the fact Winry had taken the liberty of pinning Feliciano's picture that he gave to Edward where everyone could see it.

Alphonse ran up, laughing. He was back in his normal body, and being chased by Den. Edward smiled, following Alphonse into the house. They had succeeded in both their missions. They kept the Vargas Brothers safe and returned their bodies to normal. Or, rather, almost normal. Edward still felt the automail leg in place of his real one.

Edward took one last look around before going inside and gasped. Standing about a mile away were two figures. Ludwig and Feliciano, only they were both grown up. Edward could just see it, but he watched as Feliciano, in what appeared to be a blue military uniform, smiled and waved at him. Edward smiled back and gave them both a wave.

So why was he so disturbed as he walked inside that it looked like Ludwig didn't recognize him?

**/AN**

**The end! *smiles* Oh, I loved writing this story! Kinda makes me sad it's finished now…**

**Well, what'd you guys think? I, personally, loved coming up with the ending. It just seemed…right…for Edward to see Lud and Feli when they had grown up.**

**R&R Please****, and thanks so much for reading!**

**AND SPECIAL SHOUT-OUTS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS UP UNTIL NOW! I couldn't have done this without you guys cheering me on!**

**AN/**


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